DESCRIPTION: (Adapted from PI's Abstract) Teen birth rates are rising, with the greatest increases in rates among younger adolescents. Teenagers, ages 10-14 years are engaging in sexual activity in increasing proportions. The average age for the first experience is 14 1/2 years. Thirty-eight percent of all teenage girls are from poor and low-income families, but 83% of teenagers giving birth are from poor and low-income families. Pregnancy rates among low-income African American teens are rising at rates significantly higher than their white counterparts, especially those aged 10-14. Among 38,551 US Black and White adolescents ages 10-14, the birth rate was more than 7 times the rate for whites. Given the health and economic implications of this trend toward earlier and more frequent pregnancies in this at-risk population, reversing this trend should be among our most important health priorities. Although many adolescent pregnancy prevention programs report success, the research evaluating these programs fails to address directly the compelling cultural-racial and social class differences among teens who engage in early sexual behavior resulting in early pregnancy. The major aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of a culturally appropriate intervention program on outcome variables(sexually active vs. not sexually active, pregnant vs. not pregnant has sex with no or one partner versus more than one sexual partner, uses contraceptives consistently versus does not). We propose to conduct a pre-test-post-test group control group experimental design study to test this impact. We will recruit a sample of 300 low income (10-12 years of age) 6th grade African American girls and randomly assign 150 eligible girls to either an African-oriented pregnancy prevention program (ASEPP), or a control group(n=150). Hypotheses to be tested are: Ten to twelve year old 6th grade African-American girls who participate in ASEPP will 1) be less likely to become sexually active through the 8th grade, than will those girls who do not participate; 2) less likely to become pregnant through the eighth grade; 3) have fewer sexual partners and 4) be more likely to use contraceptives consistently through the 8th grade than girls who do not participate in the program. A secondary aim is to evaluate whether there is a difference in the level of the following selected moderating variable by outcome variables: African self-esteem, sexual decision-making, parent-teen communication and parent opinion about teen sexuality.